Oldest alligator species thrived after dinosaur extinction
Summary and headline written by AI from the source article. How we work
Scientists in Colorado, USA, identified the oldest known alligator relative, Mandrasuchus milleri, from fossils dating to 66 million years ago, just 350,000 years after an asteroid struck Earth and caused the extinction of most dinosaurs. A team from the Denver Museum of Nature & Science examined over 300 anatomical features from recovered bones, teeth, and skin plates to determine the reptile’s place in the alligator family tree.
They found M. milleri was an early alligatorine, the group that includes modern American and Chinese alligators. The two-meter-long Mandrasuchus milleri likely hunted near freshwater channels and may have used burrows for shelter. Its teeth suggest it ate a variety of prey, including shellfish and other hard-bodied animals. Researchers believe this flexible diet helped M. milleri survive the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs.
The abundance of Mandrasuchus milleri fossils, from around fifteen individuals, suggests the species was successful in the immediate aftermath of the asteroid impact. This success may have allowed alligators to expand and diversify over time. The fossils also provide new clues about how crocodilians, in general, survived the extinction event by finding refuge in freshwater habitats.
